“The critical role of digital . . .archives in ensuring the future accessibility of information with enduring value has taken a back seat to enhancing access to current and actively used materials. As a consequence, digital preservation remains largely experimental and replete with the risks . . . representing a time bomb that threatens the long-term viability of [digital archives].”
1. We have a problem. Nearly every organization has digital information they want to keep for 10 or more years.
2. The problem is technological, most often a storage problem.
3. The problem is business related. It is not related to just archives, libraries or museums.
4. The problem is a legal problem. Legal requirements are the main reason organizations keep
digital information longer than ten years
5. We know what we must do, but are we doing it? In a survey 97 percent said they are aware that digital information is at risk of obsolescence but three fourths are just thinking about it or have no strategy. Only 16% have a standards-based digital preservation system.
- “Most records today are born digital."
- Digital assets should be considered business-critical information and steps taken to keep them usable long into the future
- Most organizations are not storing their long-term digital assets in a manner sufficient to ensure their long-term protection and accessibility.
- Shared Network Drive 68%
- Business Applications (e.g. CRM, ERP) 52%
- Enterprise Content Management System 47%
- Disk or Tape Backup Systems 44%
- Records Management System 43%
- Application-specific Archiving (e.g. email) 33%
- Removable Media (e.g. CD or USB) 22%
- Enterprise Archiving System 14%
- Long-term Digital Preservation System 11%
- Other 9%
- Commodity Cloud Storage (e.g. Amazon) 8%
- I don't know 1%
Where to start? Some recommendations:
- Triage right now the materials that are in serious danger of being lost, damaged, or rendered inaccessible.
- Conduct a formal assessment so that you can benefit from strategic planning and economies of scale.
- Address the Past, Protect the Future
- Catalog the Consequences of not being able to access and rely upon your own information
- Build Your Rules for Protection and accessibility
- Assess the IT Environment
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